SBE member Jared Taylor was the only vote opposing the adoption of these standards and he stated, “The bottom line is that I am very disappointed that we kicked the parents to the curb and ignored the will of the voters when they elected Diane Douglas. Yet she led the way today; we just renewed Common Core.”

Several parents were shocked to read your comments in the 1-18-18 briefs. It’s obvious that you don’t understand what is really going on in Arizona’s classrooms —which is very disappointing, since you are a candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

You have a massive misunderstanding on the recess issue. The traditional three 15-minute recess has been eliminated in most schools across the state. Many schools are down to one 10-minute recess per day, and some have no recess at all! These are not college students. They’re young children! They need to move! Studies have shown that physical activity improves academic performance. Americans are well known for their creativity and ingenuity —unlike China where academics are all that matter. We foster entrepreneurs and inventors in the USA. Recess promotes these desirable American characteristics. Recess is correlated with improved student behavior in the classroom. Recess also promotes social skills and helps kids learn how to deal with bullying —which is the opposite of giving them “comfort lamas and safe places,” as you stated.

When does “repeal and replace” not mean “repeal and replace”? When Supt. Of Public Instruction Diane Douglas says it.

Incumbent Douglas has been cranking out media releases, including taking a recent victory lap on the anniversary of the State Board of Education’s adoption of “Common Core Rebrand #2.” Her false “Common Core has been repealed and replaced” narrative has recently appeared in Frosty Taylor’s 12/20/2017 Briefs. It also appeared in the 12/19/2017 issue of the Yellow Sheet.

For the record, the Common Core Standards haven’t been repealed or replaced. At most, they’ve been “tweaked.”

If you have any doubts about the negative effects of High Stakes Testing, there are many others who agree with Barry Jackson. They also say it is counter-productive, expensive, wasteful, and it is also child abuse.

Did you happen to see this article by Steven Singer? More importantly, did PARENTS see it? Sure, school is hard. Kids complain. If they really, really complain, parents go to the teachers. Teachers reassure them. Principals and Superintendents reassure them. After all, they're the "experts," not parents. Kids are just "softer" than when we went to school. Right?

Wrong. Something is very, very wrong.

"Here’s a high stakes testing statistic you won’t hear bandied about on the news. The suicide rate among 10- to 14-year-olds doubled between 2007 and 2014 – the same period in which states have increasingly adopted Common Core standards and new, more rigorous high stakes tests. For the first time, suicide surpassed car crashes as a leading cause of death for middle school children. In 2014, the last year for which data was available, 425 middle schoolers nationwide took their own lives."

Tina Marie Griffinwrites, "I talk a lot about the first time I had sex—for a VERY important reason. The first time I had sex was on my wedding night when I was 29 years and 51 weeks old…"

This is the kind of very important article that you don't read much anymore. That's because Ms. Griffin's message is about being God-Centered, not Self-Centered. It's about respecting her body and cherishing her virginity and giving it as a gift to only one person – her husband.

Teen Vogue is an online magazine that targets teenage girls. It used to feature fashion, celebrities, and shopping. Since 2015, it began including politics (aka "Trump hatred") and current affairs (transgenderism, deviant sex, anti-Christian, anti-God). The print version reached over 1 million young people. The online version, especially now that it has sensationalized the most depraved human activites, is snagging even more teenagers, even children as young as 11. See Teen Vogue - Wikipedia.

I normally would ignore a publication like this, not wanting to give it a shred of publicity. However, parents need to know and understand the kind of information being peddled to their children via their tablets, iPads, Notebooks, Smartphones, etc.

In late April 2017, 16-year old Connor Haines and his sister Lauren, 19, were peacefully protesting against the holocaust of abortion, and sharing the gospel. They were legally on a public sidewalk outside of STEM Academy, Downingtown, Pennsylvania. They held signs and were calling out to students and others who were leaving the school in their vehicles.

After a few minutes, Assistant Principal Zachary Ruff approaches and tells them to get off the public sidewalk. Connor says they are there legally. Ruff again orders them to leave. Connor suggests he call the police. Connor explains they are protesting the holocaust (abortion) happening in America. Ruff tells him to leave. It becomes clear that Connor won't back down.

In less than a minute from initially ordering Connor and Lauren to leave, Ruff tells Connor to "Go to H**L, where THEY are!" (Who's "they"?) Aborted babies.

Ms. Peggy McClain has been investigating and reporting on the hyper-sexualization of Arizona's school children for several years. She has worked very hard to open the eyes of parents who find it hard to believe that their child's school could possibly be a physically and emotionally dangerous place. Some parents sense that something is wrong, but their common sense is overridden by the assurances of the "experts," especially because they are so nice about it. Until, that is, the parent continues to express their concerns. Ms. McClain helps parents refuse to be manipulated and take charge of their children's education. See Delphi Technique - Anyone Who Wants to be Involved in Their Child's Education Should Understand This.

Today's young people need to know that one-third of their generation has been wiped out by abortion.

Even the schools in Arizona are trying to "normalize" promiscuity, sexual experimentation, and abortion. If your common sense tells you that this is wrong, you are right. No matter which school your child is attending, I urge you to review Ms. McClain's blog, Not In Our Schools, which is updated frequently. You can also sign up to receive newsletters, and follow the blog on Twitter. Recent articles include:

An article published on April 28, 2017 in the Arizona Daily Independent, reports on a recent vote by the Arizona State Board of Education to use the results of Common Core-aligned AZMerit high stakes test to grade public schools.

Arizonans Against Common Core, Mommy Lobby AZ, and Opt Out AZ, released a statement after the vote: “Parents advocating for their children and teachers are dismayed by the A-F Accountability plan adopted by the Arizona State Board of Education. One high stakes test now accounts for 90% of a school’s letter grade. This decision reveals the SBE believes parents are incapable of selecting schools on their own. Few other factors matter to the state; however, parents make thoughtful school choices based on their own values, research, and judgment.”

So, the AZ. State Board of Education is using the controversial, unvalidated, one-size-fits all, secretive, high stakes AZ Merit to “evaluate” every public school in Arizona. The only people who have seriously donned their thinking caps are SBE board member Jared Taylor, Choice Academies president Ms. Lisa Fink, and commentators “Listen to a Mom” and Edward Cizek. The letter grade a school receives using AZ Merit scores as the most critical criteria, will be useless to parents. Do the board members actually believe otherwise? What a waste of time, effort, and money. Ms. Fink, who is quoted extensively, uses Consumer Reports as an example of what truly passes for an evaluation of a product. I would add that we use far more criteria evaluating the nutritional value of canned soup and cereal.